Debates of Oct. 6th, 2025

Justice

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Parkland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals keep talking about the things they will do. They can do something today and vote for our motion for jail not bail. The Liberals' criminal experiments have unleashed a wave of violence on our streets. Police and victims agree Bill C-75 is the problem. The Prime Minister talks tough on crime, but he has had six months and he has done nothing. Conservatives are listening, and that is why we put our jail not bail bill up for vote today. This country is watching this vote.

When will the Liberals finally get on board and stop giving the criminals a free pass?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, if the party opposite wants to be serious on crime, it needs to support legislation in front of the House that will advance criminal justice reform. We have Bill C-2 before the House, which the opposition is unwilling to support. This is a measure that was asked for by law enforcement. It will strengthen our border to make sure our country is safe. There is no doublespeak here because, on this side of the aisle, we will bring forward bail reform, and we will ensure it is safe and charter-compliant.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Parkland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe my ears. The minister just said we need to support legislation before the House, but they have yet to put forward a bail reform bill. We have put forward a bill today. It is time for them to support it.

Sadly, there are too many countless examples of the deadly failures of the Liberals' criminal experiments. In July, a young mother was killed in broad daylight by her ex-husband with a hammer. This brutal attack happened mere hours after he was convicted of assaulting her. He was on bail. He was released after he was convicted.

It is time for the Liberals to end these soft-on-crime experiments. It is time for them to put their blind partisanship aside, stand with us and pass the jail not bail bill.

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, we have government legislation in front of the House, Bill C-2, which the party opposite could support and pass. These are very important items that law enforcement has asked for. Throughout the summer, I had the opportunity to meet with police chiefs, police associations and others in law enforcement who have asked for very important tools so they can do their job better and make sure criminals are off their streets.

If the party opposite is serious about criminal justice reform, it will start by supporting Bill C-2.

[Kerry Diotte, Conservative, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Liberal bail has caused a bloodbath of crime in communities nationwide. The culprit is Bill C-75, the catch-and-release Liberal bail law. The Prime Minister has kept that awful law in place over his last six months in power, but Conservatives have been taking advice from police and victims to draft a new bill to scrap Liberal bail and bring peace to our streets. The House votes on it today. Victims and police are watching.

Will the Prime Minister put partisanship aside and vote to scrap Liberal bail?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, we spent this summer consulting with experts across this country to come up with a comprehensive plan to address criminality in our country.

Quite frankly, their bill is weak. Our bill will address everything that is in their bill and much more. It will keep a wide array of criminals behind bars. We have Bill C-2 in front of the House right now. Bill C-2 addresses many cases, such as murder, extortion, child exploitation and sextortion. Many of our vulnerable children have committed suicide in this country. I asked the Conservatives—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know if members are familiar with the story of Gabie Renaud, the woman who was killed four weeks ago in Saint‑Jérôme, Quebec, by a man who had been arrested 30 times and had failed to comply with his release conditions 16 times. All of this was caused by Liberal catch-and-release laws, like Bill C‑75.

There is actually some good news. My colleague, the member for Oxford, introduced Bill C‑242, which was drafted in consultation with police officers and victims' groups. This bill is ready to be passed right away.

Will the Prime Minister ask his government and his MPs to vote today, following question period, to advance the member for Oxford's bill, yes or no?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, we need to change Canada's laws to strengthen the bail system. At the same time, we know that the bill before the House today has many flaws.

As we go forward, we are not going to take a bill that is completely deficient and does not scratch the surface of what law enforcement, provinces and territories and experts have informed us on over the last few months. Our job is not to pander with slogans but to advance solutions to help keep Canadians safe. That is what the government legislation is going to do.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it was the Liberals who caused those deficiencies over the past 10 years, with the bills and laws that were put in place, such as Bill C‑5, Bill C‑75 and Bill C‑83. All of those laws have led to a drastic increase in crime in Canada.

We have a bill that has been tabled in the House. This bill was drafted in consultation with police officers and victims groups. This bill will make our streets and other women safer so that they do not suffer the same fate as Gabie Renaud.

Will this government do the right thing and vote in favour of our motion this afternoon?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague's argument is self-defeating. He suggests that one of the laws to blame when it comes to bail should be repealed when in fact that would make it easier for someone charged with intimate partner violence to be released on bail. If someone is going to be critical of a piece of legislation on the floor of the House of Commons, it is a good idea to read it first.

We have spent months engaging with law enforcement, with provincial and territorial counterparts, with constitutional experts and with those who advocate on behalf of victims to ensure we are moving forward with policies that are going to keep Canada safe. People want solutions, not slogans, and that is what we will deliver.

Health

[Eric St-Pierre, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, too many people face barriers when trying to access sexual and reproductive health services. Whether that is due to lack of knowledge, discrimination or geographic isolation, more effort is needed to develop additional resources, raise awareness and provide logistical support.

Can the Minister of Health tell us what the government is doing to improve the availability and accessibility of sexual and reproductive health services and information?

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, every person deserves access to sexual and reproductive health services, regardless of when and where they live. That is why I was so pleased to announce last week that we are allocating funding to groups such as the Disabled Women's Network Canada, the Canadian Association of Community Health Centres and other organizations that are proposing community-based solutions to expand access to sexual and reproductive health services.

This will help many more Canadians participate fully in the labour market.

Justice

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Liberal policies like Liberal bail have caused a bloodbath of crime throughout Canada. So much of this comes back to the Liberal bail provisions of Bill C-75.

Canadians should not have fear, because we have a jail not bail bill that we will be voting on today. In fact, Peel, Halton and, minutes ago, the Toronto police associations endorsed our jail not bail bill. When the justice minister says that our bill is deficient, will he tell those police associations they are wrong?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, like I have said before, our comprehensive legislation just coming out—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Order, please.

We are going to take that one from the top. I suppose I could turn up the volume a bit more, but I would like to try to keep it at this level and see if we can respect that.

The Secretary of State for Combatting Crime has the floor.

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Brampton North—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, like I said, we spent the summer consulting with police chiefs across the country, and associations. The comprehensive legislation that will be coming out in a few weeks is recommended by police agencies across this country. It contains a lot more than the piece of legislation being offered by the Conservatives. Quite frankly, their piece of legislation is weak. It does not address all aspects of crime.

Everything Canadians are looking for will be addressed in our upcoming bill.

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, if the legislation is so weak, why are the Peel, Halton and, minutes ago, Toronto police associations endorsing our legislation?

The reality is that bail is out of control. In Kelowna, 15 people were responsible for 1,335 police calls, with one person responsible for 223 of those. He is alleged to have violated bail 31 times and has not showed up for court 32 times.

The Liberals tell us what they are going to do. What have they done in the last 10 years? It is diddly-poo. Will they pass our bill, yes or no?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, do members know what else has been endorsed by police across this country? It is Bill C-2, our stronger borders bill. Every police agency across this country has endorsed that piece of legislation. Canada is the only country among the G7 and the Five Eyes that does not have lawful access legislation. It is so important for protecting children who are being exploited online. Will the Conservatives stop being concerned about the privacy of criminals?

[Amarjeet Gill, Conservative, Brampton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Liberal bail has caused a bloodbath of crime in communities across this country. Just last week, a man was stabbed on a bus in Brampton by a criminal out on bail.

Over the last six months in power, the Prime Minister has kept Liberal Bill C-75 in place, causing more bloodshed. Conservatives have taken police and victims' advice to draft a bill that would scrap Liberal bail and bring peace to our streets.

The House vote is today. Victims and police are watching us. Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and vote to scrap Liberal bail today?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, our bill is comprehensive and is much stronger than the Conservative bill. I believe the Conservatives will be happy to see it in the coming days. It addresses all their issues and much more.

We have been a tough-on-crime government since we took office. Our top priority has been to address these issues, with Bill C-2 and with listing the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist organization. We have been able to crack down on criminals across this country. I want to thank law enforcement for all the arrests they have been making and the many—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Sackville—Bedford—Preston.

Firearms

[Braedon Clark, Liberal, Sackville—Bedford—Preston, NS]

Mr. Speaker, all members of the House agree on the need to keep our communities and streets safe. A key part of that commitment is freeing Canadians from the scourge of gun violence, an issue our government is committed to addressing.

To that end, can the Minister of Public Safety explain how this critical work is being advanced through the assault-style firearms compensation program?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the member for Sackville—Bedford—Preston for his very important question.

I am pleased to say that on October 1, the pilot program—